The use of fiber optic cables to provide an optical path in optical systems has been greatly extended and enlarged in recent development of optical technology. In such optical systems it is frequently necessary to provide terminals, couplers, and connections with respect to the optical path provided by such fiber optic cables. In order to give effect to such required terminals, couplers, and connections, it is usually necessary to grind and polish the end of the fiber optic cable. Conventional type of equipment used for this purpose in the past was essentially of the type employed for lapidary procedures, usually comprising a bench-mounted, electrically driven, grinding and polishing wheel. Customarily, such bench-mounted lapidary equipment required water or other coolant because of the need for cooling due to the relatively high speed type of operation of such equipment.
Moreover, in the use of such prior art equipment to grind and polish the end of the fiber optic cable, great care had to be exercised so as not to grind off too much or too little of the fiber optic cable end.
With the recent and current development of optical systems employing fiber optic cables for communication and other systems, the installation of fiber optic cables has spread to ships, aircraft, and other vehicles. Obviously, the use of conventional bench-mounted lapidary type equipment for grinding and polishing fiber optic cable ends in restricted spaces of ships and aircraft is neither practical nor desirable. Accordingly, there is a need for a hand-held, portable, fiber optic cable grinding and polishing tool which is self-powered, small enough to be conveniently used in restricted spaces, and capable of grinding and polishing fiber optic cable ends to provide terminals, couplers, and connections in optical paths as and where desired within an optical system, particularly an optical system which has already been installed in the vessel or aircraft.
Moreover, it is highly desirable that such a fiber optic grinding and polishing tool include a means which will function to position fiber optic cable ends relative to the abrasive grinding and polishing surface so that a predetermined amount of grinding and polishing will be automatically accomplished, avoiding the problem of removing too much or too little of the fiber optic cable as was frequently the case in the use of conventional prior art equipment and techniques.